Closure structure for a container



' Nov. 16, 1965 N. A. KELLY CLOSURE STRUCTURE FOR A CONTAINER 4Sheets-8heet 1 Filed June 20, 1963 INVENTO'R. NORMA/U A. Kill V Mk/v zmNov. 16, 1965 N. A. KELLY CLOSURE STRUCTURE FOR A CONTAINER 4Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 20, 1965 INVENTOR. /l/OMAA/ 4. Kill Y Nov. 16,1965 N. A. KELLY 3,2 7,

CLOSURE STRUCTURE FOR A CONTAINER Filed June 20, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 3INVENTOR.

A/fl/fM/Wl/ 14- AZLA Y Nov. 16, 19 N. A. KELLY CLOSURE STRUCTURE FOR ACONTAINER 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 20, 1963.

A/O/PM/M/ A. KAZZ United States Patent 3,217,966 CLOSURE STRUCTURE FOR ACONTAINER Norman A. Kelly, Wayne Township, Koscuisko County, Ind.,assiguor to Crystal Preforming and Packaging, Inc., Warsaw, Ind., acorporation of Indiana Filed June 20, 1963, Ser. No. 289,376 8 Claims.(Cl. 229-17) This invention relates in general to a containerconstruction and, more particularly, to a closure structure for acoated, paperboard carton adapted for holding edible liquids, such asmilk or juice, and having a self-contained pouring spout.

Coated, paperboard containers or cartons have been widely andsuccessfully used for carrying a variety of liquids, such as dairyproducts. In fact, plastic-coated, paperboard cartons are fast becoming,if they are not already, the most widely used disposable containers forcarrying liquid foods and beverages. However, the provision of aself-contained pouring spout for plastic-coated, paperboard cartons hasgiven rise to several problems, the solutions of which have not beenaltogether satisfactory.

For example, many attempts have been made to provide a pouring lip onthe self-contained spout (1) which would be incapable of accidentalcontamination after the closure structure is sealed and prior to firstuse of the spout, (2) which would be leak-proof prior to the first useof the spout, (3) which would have a clean, unfuzzy lip after thepouring spout is formed, and (4) which could be returned to a closedposition after its use so that the container is substantially closed andthe pouring lip of the pouring spout is in a position where accidentalcontamination thereof can be minimized.

Containers having closure constructions, which have been designed toovercome at least some of the foregoing problems, are disclosed in myUnited States patent applications Serial No. 111,028, now Patent Number3,118,586, entitled Container Construction; Serial No. 146,964, newPatent Number 3,162,349, entitled Container Closure Construction; andSerial No. 224,118, now abandoned, entitled Carton Construction. In acontinuing effort to improve upon the closure constructions andself-contained pouring spouts disclosed in the foregoing three patentapplications, it was found that a very desirable result could beachieved, where a principally polyethylene coating is used, by providinga slit completely through the panel in which the pouring spout is formedand then covering said slit with a strip of adhesive tape which adheresfirmly to the outer surface of the carton around the slit, but which canbe removed manually and easily at the time that use of the pouring spoutbecomes desirable.

Accordingly, the objects of this invention have been to provide aplastic coated, paperboard carton including:

(1) A closure construction having an improved, selfcontained pouringspout with a pouring lip which is formed substantially completely in apanel of the closure structure when the carton blank is fabricated andwhich is sealed with a strip of adhesive tape during such fabrication;

(2) A closure structure, as aforesaid, which is liquid tight whenclosed, following the filling of the associated container, which can befabricated with a minimum of material beyond that required to enclosethe volume of liquid contained therein, and which can withstand abusivetreatment without becoming unsealed and without exposing the pouringspout to contamination;

(3) A closure structure, as aforesaid, in which the self-containedpouring spout has a pouring lip which is clean cut and unf-uzzy,particularly on the inner side thereof, so as to avoid the collection ofcontaminating mate rials after it has been used. and which is arrangedso 3,217,966 Patented Nov. 16, 1965 that the pouring spout can be formedquickly and easily from a part of a panel in the closure structure witha minimum of effort by a person using the container;

(4) A closure structure, as aforesaid, which can be fabricated in thesame operation that produces the remainder of the container by fullyautomatic machinery similar to that presently in use for such purposes,and which is pleasing in appearance and easy to handle; and

(5) A closure structure, as aforesaid, including an upstanding rib withan extension thereon having finger openings therethrough whereby thecontainer can be easily grasped and safely transported both before andafter the pouring spout has been opened for use.

Other objects and purposes of this invention will become apparent topersons familiar with this type of equipment upon reading the followingdescriptive material and examing the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a broken, perspective view of a coated, paperboard cartonhaving a closure structure embodying the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation view of the upper end of a said cartonshowing the spout thereof in the open or pouring position.

FIGURE 3 is a top view of the closure structure with the pouring spoutin the open position.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along the line IVIV in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken along the line VV in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 6 is a broken plan view of a carton blank from which a cartonhaving said closure structure can be fashioned.

FIGURE 7 is a plan view of a fragment of a modified carton blank fromwhich another carton embodying the invention can be fashioned.

FIGURE 8 is a top view of the modified closure structure in the closedposition.

FIGURE 9 is a top view of the modified closure structure in a partiallyopen position.

FIGURE 10 is a top view of the modified closure structure with the spoutthereof in the pouring position.

FIGURE 11 is a side elevation view of the modified closure structurewith the pouring spout thereof in the open position.

FIGURE 12 is a perspective view of the upper end of a carton having aclosure structure embodying the invention and including an integralhandle construction.

FIGURE 13 is a top view of the closure structure of FIGURE 12 in thepartially open condition.

FIGURE 14 is a sectional View taken along the line XIVXIV in FIGURE 12.

FIGURE 15 is a perspective view of the upper end of a carton having apouring spout of the type disclosed on the carton of FIGURE 1 and havinga handle con struction of the type shown on the carton of FIGURE 12.

FIGURE 16 is a sectional view taken along the line XVI-XVI in FIGURE 15.

For convenience in description, the terms upper, lower and words ofsimilar import will have reference to the closure structure and parts ofthe carton associated therewith, as appearing in FIGURES 1, 11, 12 and14. The terms front, rear and words of similar import will havereference to the side of the carton from which the pouring spout opensand the opposite side of the carton, respectively. The terms inner,outer and Words of similar import will have reference to the geometriccenter of the closure structure, the carton and parts associatedtherewith.

General construction The objects and purposes of the invention,including those set forth above, have been met by providing a containeror carton which is preferably fabricated from a flat blank cut from asheet of plastic-coated paperboard or the like. The plastic coating ispreferably of the type, such as polyethylene, which is heat scalable.The carton has four side walls and a bottom wall arranged to define arectangular chamber which is preferably square in cross section and istopped by a gabled closure structure. In one preferred embodiment, theclosure structure is formed from four end panels which are connected toeach other, and which are integral with and extend from the upper endsof the side walls a distance somewhat greater than half theperpendicular distance between a pair of opposing side walls.

One of the end panels has a slit which extends from a point adjacent oneside edge thereof to a point adjacent the other side edge thereof nearto, and substantially parallel with, the upper edge of the panel. Theupper edge portions of the four panels are sealed together above theslit in the one upper panel to form an upstanding rib. The slit whichmay be in either the roof panel or a gable panel is covered with a stripof adhesive tape to seal it closed. The upstanding rib may extend asubstantial distance above the ends panels and have finger openingstherein to serve as a handle.

Detailed description The container (FIGURE 1),. which illustrates onepreferred embodiment of the invention, is fashioned from a blank 21, aportion of which is disclosed in FIGURE 6 The sheet material, from whichthe container blank 21 is cut, may be comprised of heavy paper stock orsimilar, suitable sheet material which is sufiiciently stiff to be notonly self-sustaining but also capable of withstanding reasonable amountsof rough handling without collapsing, particularly after a blank thereofis formed into the carton or container 20 of FIGURE 1. The sheetmaterial is preferably coated with a composition including aheat-scalable plastic material, such as polyethylene, which may becompounded with other ingredients or additives for the purpose ofimproving the adhesive or other qualities of the composition. Theplastic coating must be capable of achieving a strong adhesive bond withthe paper stock and a strong cohesive bond with other surfaces of thecarton blank having a similar coating when the blank is fashioned into acarton and the closure structure thereof is closed and sealed. It willbe recognized that other types of plastic coatings and sealing methodsmay be used within tire scope of the invention.

The blank 21 (FIGURE 6) is impressed, when it is cut, with a pluralityof spaced and parallel score lines 22, 23, 24 and 25, and a pair ofspaced fold lines 27 and 28, which intersect said score linesperpendicularly near the upper end of the blank 21. The score linesdivide the container blank 21 into four side walls 31, 32, 33 and 34,preferably of equal width, and an edge tab 36, which is sealed to thefree edge of the side wall 31 when the container 20 is formed from theblank 21. Said score lines and fold lines define therebetwcen the endpanels 37, 38, 39 and 40 which are extensions of and are disposeddirectly above the side walls 31, 32, 33 and 34, respectively.

The fold line 27 defines the lower edge of the rib portions 43, 44,45and 46 which are integral with, and extend from, the upper edges of theend panels 37, 38, 39 and 40, respectively. The end panels 37 and 39 arethe roof panels of the closure structure 48, and the end panels 38 and40 form the gable panels of said closure structure 48. The rib portions,43, 44, 45 and 46 are, when the closure structure 48 is closed, sealedtogether to form an upstanding rib 49.

The carton 20 has a bottom wall 52 which is formed from the lower endpanels 51 on the blank 21 in a manner similar to that disclosed in myabove-mentioned patent application Serial No. 111,028, now Patent No.3,118,586.

The gable panel 38 has a pair of fold lines 53 and 54 which convergefrom the intersections of the score lines 22 and 23 with the fold line28 to the mid-point 56 in the 4 upper edge of the gable panel 38. Thegable panel 40 has fold lines 57 and 58 which converge upwardly from theintersection of the score lines 24 and 25 with the fold line 28 to themid-point 59 in the upper edge of the gable panel 40. Accordingly, themid-points 56 and 59 are disposed along the upper fold line 27.

The roof panel 39 has a pair of score lines 62 and 63 which convergeupwardly from the intersections of the score lines 23 and 24 with thefold line 28 to a mid-point 64 in the rib portion above the fold line27. Accordingly, since the distance between the adjacent ones of thescore lines 22, 23 and 24 is substantially identical, in this particularembodiment, the angle between the fold line 28 and the score line 62 orthe scole line 63 is greater than the angle between said score line 28and any one of the fold lines 53, 54, 57 and 58. This arrangement hasbeen found to facilitate the opening, the closing and the performance ofthe pouring spout 66 (FIGURES 2 and 3). However, satisfactory resultscan be achieved when other angular relationships of the score lines 62and 63 with the fold line 28 are provided.

The roof panel 39 (FIGURE 6) has a slit 67 which is out completelythrough the panel and which extends from a point near the score line 23to a point near the score line 24, said slit being close to andsubstantially parallel with the fold line 27. The central portion 68 ofthe slit 67, which extends between the score lines 62 and 63, ispreferably parallel with the fold line 27. The end portions 63 and 70 ofsaid slit 67, at the opposite ends of the central portion 68, preferablyslope downwardly slightly from said central portion.

A strip of adhesive tape 73 (FIGURES 1 and 6) is placed upon the roofpanel 39 during the forming of the closure structure 48 so that itengages the surface of the roof panel 39 completely surrounding andadjacent the slit 67, whereby leaking through the slit 67 is prevented.An end 74 of the tape 73 is folded under and upon itself to provide amanually engageable tab which will not adhere to the closure structure48 and, therefore, will be easily accessible for engagement when itbecomes desirable to remove the strip 73.

Assembly The container 20 (FIGURE 1) is assembled from the blank 21(FIGURE 6) by folding the blank along the score lines 22, 23, 24 and 25after which the edge tab 36 is secured along the entire length thereofto the free edge portion of the side wall 31 in the blank 21. After thebottom wall 52 (FIGURE 1) has been formed from the panels 51 in asubstantially conventional manner, the end panels 37, 38, 39 and 40 arefolded or prebroken along the fold lines 27, 53, 54, 57 and 58,respectively.

After the carton 20 has been formed and prebroken as set forth above, itis ready for immediate use. If the carton is filled at once, the ribportions 43, 44, 45 and 46 of the upper end panels are heated andbrought together under pressure so that they are sealed tightly togetherin a liquid-tight arrangement. The adhesive strip 73 may be applied tothe roof panel 39, so that it covers the slit 67, either during theforming of the blank 21 or at the time that the closure structure 48 isbeing formed from the blank 21. However, the adhesive strip 73 ispreferably put in place upon the roof panel 39 before; the container 20is filled with liquid. This will prevent an accidental folding of theroof panel 39 along the score lines 62 and 63 or contamination of thespout 66 during the filling operation or the sealing of the closurestructure 48.

When it becomes desirable to remove the contents from within the carton20, the end 74 of the adhesive strip 73 is manually engaged and pulledupwardly away from the roof panel 39, whereby the adhesive strip isremoved from the panel. Under some circumstances, the adhesive bondbetween the strip 73 and the surface of the roof panel 39 may besufficient that the Coating Will be removed from the panel with theadhesive strip 73. However, this will not adversely affect the operationof the pouring spout 66 since the roughened surface produced by theremoval of the coating material will be on the outside of the spout. Ifthe coating on the upper surface of the roof panel 39 is not materiallydisturbed by the removal of the strip 73, then said strip can beadvantageously saved for covering the slit after the pouring operationhas been performed.

After the strip 73 is removed from the roof panel 39, the side edges ofthe panel 39, defined by portions of the score lines 23 and 24, aremanually engaged, as by means of the thumb and forefinger of the hand,and squeezed toward each other so that the central portion of the endpanel 39 below the slit 67 is moved away from the portion of the endpanel 39 above the slit 67. At the same time, the opposite ends of therib portion 45 and the adjacent halves of the rib portions 44 and 46move away from the other halves of the rib portions 44 and 46, whichremain secured to the rib portion 43. This operation is facilitated bythe fact that the seal holding the halves of the rib portion 44, forexample, together is relatively weak by comparison with the sealsecuring said halves of rib portion 44 to the adjacent parts of the ribportions 43 and 45. When the pouring spout 66 is in its fully openedposition, it will appear as disclosed in FIGURES 2 and 3. The centralportion 68 of the slit 67 (FIGURE 6) defines the upper edge of thepouring lip on the pouring spout 66.

When the pouring operation has been completed, the front side of thepouring spout 66 is manually engaged and moved rearwardly toward theroof panel 37 until the rib portion 45 is again substantially parallelwith and adjacent to the rib portion 43, whereby the roof panel 39 willbe moved back into or substantially into its FIG- URE 1 position.

The memory in the folded parts of the closure structure, andparticularly in the sealed portions of the rib 49, will tend to hold theclosure structure 48 in its closed position, even after the pouringspout 66 has been opened and closed. If the adhesive strip 73 is stillusable, it can be placed over the slit 67 to seal it closed. If thestrip 73 is not usable, it can be replaced by a piece of conventionalScotch tape for the purpose of again sealing the slit 67.

The carton 20 can now be returned to a storage place safely and withoutloss or contamination of its contents. The closure structure 48 andspout 66 can be reopened, when desired, by following and repeating theprocedure discussed above.

During the moving of the pouring spout 66 into its open position (FIGURE3), the roof panel 39 will normally be torn slightly at the oppositeends of the slit 67. However, this tearing will have no adverse eflectupon the operation of the pouring spout 66 or the reclosing of theclosure structure 48. By terminating the slit 67 short of the scorelines 23 and 24, accidental opening of the slit 67, prior to placing thestrip 73 upon the roof panel 39, is at least minimized. However, thestrip 73 positively opposes any transverse movement of the parts of thepanel 39 on opposite sides of the slit 67 after it is applied to theroof panel.

The carton 80 (FIGURES 8 to 11, inclusive) is fashioned from a blank 81(FIGURE 7). The carton 80 has a modified closure structure 82 with endpanels 83, 84, 85 and 86, which are defined by the score lines 88, 89,90 and 91, and the fold lines 94 and 95. The gable panels 84 and 86 haveconverging fold lines 97, 98 and 99, 100 which converge upwardly to thernidpoints 103 and 104, respectively.

In the closure structure 82 (FIGURE 9), the slit 106 is provided in thegable panel and an adhesive strip 107 is placed across the slit 106 in amanner similar to and for the same purposes as the adhesive strip 73.The roof panels 83 and 85 (FIGURE 7) have score lines 108 and 109,respectively, which extend upwardly from the intersections of the scorelines 88 and 89 with the fold line to points 112 and 113 along the foldline 94. The points 112 and 113 are preferably spaced respectively fromthe score lines 88 and 89 distances slightly greater than is themid-point 103. Accordingly, and as shown in FIGURE 8, the score lines108 and 109 are disposed inwardly of the fold lines 97 and 98 (FIGURE 8)when the closure structure 82 is in its closed and sealed position,prior to the opening of the pouring spout 116. With this arrangement thegable panel 84 (FIGURE 9) is separated from the adjacent portions of theroof panels 83 and 85 as the closure structure 82 is opened and thepouring spout 116 is moved into its FIGURE 10 position. When the closurestructure 82 is in its FIGURE 9 position, the strip 107 can be removedeasily from the gable panel 84 in substantially the same manner asdiscussed above with respect to the adhesive strip 73 on the carton 20(FIGURE 1). After removal of the strip 107, the side edges of the gablepanel 84 (FIGURE 9) are engaged along the score lines 88 and 89 betweenthe thumb and forefinger and pressed tightly together so that theportion of the gable panel 84 below the slit 106 is forced frontwardlyto form the pouring spout 116. The use of the pouring spout 116 will bethe same as set forth above with respect to the pouring spout 66.

After the desired amount of liquid is removed from within the carton 80,the pouring spout 116 is urged rearwardly from its FIGURE 10 position toits FIGURE 9 position, after which the old adhesive strip 107 or a newadhesive strip may be placed over the slit 106. The adjacent portions ofthe end panels 83, 84 and 85 are now moved from their FIGURE 9 positionstoward their FIG- URE 8 positions whereby the closure structure 82 ismoved into a position where leaking or contamination of the contentswithin the carton 80 is virtually eliminated under normal conditions ofuse.

The carton 120 (FIGURE 12) has a closure structure 121 which, in part,may be identical with the closure structure 82. However, the ribportions 122 and 123 on the roof panels 125 and 126 of the closurestructure 121 are extended considerably beyond the upward projection ofthe corresponding rib portions of the closure structure 82, to form anintegral handle 127. The handle 127 has a pair of finger openings 128and 129 (FIGURE 12), which are formed by cutting arcuate slits in saidrib portions 122 and 123. The flaps 133 and 134, which are produced bythe slits creating the finger openings 128 and 129, respectively, arebent upwardly along hinge lines 136 and 137 into positions about asshown in FIGURE 14 with respect to the flap 134 to permit easyengagement of the handle 127 by the fingers 138 for the purpose ofcarrying the container 120.

The closure structure 121 (FIGURE 13) has a slit 141 in the gable panel142, which slit is covered by an adhesive strip 143 in substantially thesame manner as discussed above with respect to the adhesive strip 107 onthe gable panel 84 (FIGURE 9). The only material difference between theoperation of the closure structure 121 and the closure structure 82results from the presence of the handle 127, and such difl erence occurswhen the closure structure 121 is opened for the purpose of, and priorto, the opening of the pouring spout 144. That is, when the ends of therib portions 122 and 123 adjacent said pouring spout 144 are pulledapart, the parts forming the flap 134 must be disengaged and the flappart on the rib portion 123 must be pulled through the finger opening132 in the rib portion 122. However, in all other respects, the openingof the closure structure 121 and the forming and operation of thepouring spout 144 may be substantially the same as discussed above withrespect to the closure member 82 and pouring spout 116.

The carton (FIGURES 15 and 16) has a closure structure 151 which may besubstantially similar to the closure structure 121, except that the slit152 is located in a roof panel 154 to form the upper edge of the pouringspout 153 which, therefore, is similar to the pouring spout 66 in theclosure structure 48 (FIGURE 1). Finger openings 156 and 157 areprovided in the handle member 158, which is formed by the upward,adjacent extensions of the rib portions 161 and 162.

The pouring spout 153 on the closure structure 151 is opened into aposition which closely resembles the open position of the pouring spout66 of the closure structure 48 (FIGURES 2 and 3). In a correspondingmanner, the pouring spout 144 on the closure structure 121 will openinto a position corresponding to the open position of the pouring spout116 (FIGURE of the closure structure 82.

Although particular preferred embodiments of the invention have beendisclosed hereinabove for illustrative purposes, it will be recognizedthat variations or modifications of such disclosure, which come withinthe scope of the appended claims, are fully contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. A closure structure for a container fabricated from coated paperboardand having four side walls arranged to define a rectangular compartment,the combination comprising:

a pair of roof panels integral with and extending upwardly substantiallythe same distance from a first pair of said side walls on opposite sidesof said compartment;

a pair of gable panels integral with and extending upwardly from theother pair of side walls, said gable panels being integral with saidroof panels along the adjacent edges thereof;

means defining a fold line extending across each of said roof and gablepanels substantially parallel with the upper edges of said panels todefine a rib portion on each panel;

means defining a pair of upwardly converging fold lines on each gablepanel, folding of said gable panels inwardly and along said convergingfold lines causing said roof panels to move toward each other so thatsaid rib portions form an upstanding rib along the adjacent upper edgesof said roof panels, and said roof panels slope downwardly from saidrib;

means tightly securing in a leak-proof manner the rib portion on eachroof panel to a part of the rib portion on each gable panel whereby theclosure structure is sealed;

means defining a slit in one of said gable panels substantially parallelwith, near to and below the fold line forming said rib portions, saidslit intersecting the converging fold lines in said one gable panel nearthe upper ends of said converging fold lines, said slit having a centralportion between said converging fold lines and a pair of end portionssloping downwardly slightly away from said central portion; and

a strip of material having a surface attached to the outer surface ofsaid one panel so that said strip completely covers said slit, saidstrip being removable from said one panel.

2. A closure structure for a container fabricated from a thermoplasticcoated paperboard and having side walls arranged to define acompartment, the combination comprising:

a pair of roof panels integral with and extending upwardly substantiallythe same distance from said side walls on opposite sides of saidcompartment;

a pair of gable panels integral with and extending upwardly from saidside walls, each of said gable panels being between and connected tosaid roof panels along the adjacent side edges thereof, the junctionsbetween said panels and said side walls being defined by score lineslying substantially within a plane substantially perpendicular to saidside Walls;

means defining a fold line extending across each of said roof and gablepanels substantially parallel with a the upper edges of said panels todefine a rib portion on each panel;

means defining a pair of upwardly converging fold lines on each gablepanel converging upwardly from the opposite ends of the score linethereon, folding of said gable panels inwardly along said score linesand along said converging fold lines causing said roof panels to movetoward each other so that said rib portions form an upstanding rib alongthe adjacent upper edges of said roof panels, and said roof panels slopedownwardly from said rib;

means including a thermoplastic coating on the rib portions for tightlysecuring in a leakproof manner the rib portion on each roof panel to apart of the rib portion on each gable panel whereby the closurestructure is sealed;

means defining a slit through one of said panels substantially parallelwith, near to and below the fold line forming said rib portion thereof,said slit being confined between the side edges of said one panel toform a pouring lip therein when the said part of said one panel belowsaid slit is moved outwardly; and

a strip of material separably attached to the outer surface of said onepanel so that said strip completely covers said slit and is secured tosaid one panel completely around the slit.

3. A structure according to claim 2 wherein said strip has an adhesiveon the side thereof attached to said outer surface;

wherein said slit is in one roof panel;

wherein said one roof panel has a pair of upwardly converging foldlines, said slit intersecting said converging fold lines near theirupper ends.

4. A structure according to claim 2 wherein the rib portions on saidroof panels extend substantially above the rib portions on said gablepanels; and

wherein said extended rib portions on said roof panels each have a pairof spaced finger openings therethrough, the openings in one extended ribportion being coaxial with the finger openings in the other extended ribportion.

5. A structure according to claim 2 wherein said strip has an adhesiveon the side thereof attached to said outer surface;

wherein said slit is in one roof panel; and

wherein said one roof panel has a pair of upwardly converging foldlines, said slit intersecting said converging fold lines near theirupper ends.

6. A closure structure for a container fabricated from coated paperboardand having four side walls arranged to define a rectangular compartment,the combination comprising:

a pair of roof panels integral with and extending upwardly substantiallythe same distance from a first pair of said side walls on opposite sidesof said compartment;

a pair of gable panels integral with and extending upwardly from theother pair of side walls, said gable panels being integral with saidroof panels along the adjacent edges thereof;

means defining a fold line extending across each of said roof and gablepanels substantially parallel with the upper edges of said panels todefine a rib portion on each panel;

means defining a pair of upwardly converging fold lines on each gablepanel, folding of said gable panels inwardly and along said convergingfold lines causing said roof panels to move toward each other so thatsaid rib portions form an upstanding rib along the adjacent upper edgesof said roof panels, and said roof panels slope downwardly from saidrib;

means tightly securing in a leakproof manner the rib portion on eachroof panel to a part of the rib portion on each gable panel whereby theclosure structure is sealed;

means defining a slit in one of said gable panels subcoated paperboardand having four side walls arranged stantially parallel with, near toand below the fold to define a rectangular compartment, the combinationline forming said rib portions, each roof panel havcomprising: ing afold line therein parallel with and directly overa pair of roof panelsintergral with and extending uplying a fold line in said one end panelwhen the wardly substantially the same distance from a first closurestructure is closed; and pair of said side walls on opposite sides ofsaid a strip of material having a surface attached to the compartment;

outer surface of said one panel so that said strip coma pair of gablepanels integral with and extending uppletely covers said slit, saidstrip being removable wardly from the other pair of side walls adistance from said one panel. less than the upward extent of the roofpanels, said 7. A closure structure for a container fabricated fromgable panels being integral with said roof panels a thermoplastic coatedpaperboard and having four side along the adjacent edges thereof; wallsarranged to define a rectangular compartment, the means defining a foldline extending across each of combination comprising: said roof andgable panels substantially parallel with a pair of roof panels integralwith and extending upthe upper edges of said panels to define a ribportion wardly substantially the same distance from a first on eachpanel; pair of said side walls on opposite sides of said commeansdefining a pair of upwardly converging fold lines partment; on eachgable panel, folding of said gable panels ina pair of gable panelsintegral with and extending upwardly and along said converging foldlines causing wardly from the other pair of side walls a distance saidroof panels to move toward each other so that slightly less than theupward extent of the roof said rib portions form an upstanding rib alongthe panels, said gable panels being integral with said roof adjacentupper edges of said roof panels, and said panels along the adjacentedges thereof, the junctions roof panels slope downwardly from said rib;between said panels and said side walls being defined means tightlysecuring in a leakproof manner the ribby score lines lying substantiallywithin a plane perportion on each roof panel to a part of the ribporpendicular to said side walls; tion on each gable panel whereby theclosure strucmeans defining a fold line extending across each of ture issealed;

said roof and gable panels near to and substantially means defining aslit in one of said gable panels subparallel with the upper edges ofsaid panels to define stantially parallel with, near to and below thefold a rib portion on each panel; line forming said rib portions, eachroof panel havmeans defining a pair of upwardly converging fold linesing a fold line therein disposed substantially parallel on each gablepanel converging upwardly from the with and near to one of the foldlines in said one opposite ends of the score line thereon, folding ofend panel when said closure structure is closed, said said gable panelsinwardly along said score lines and fold lines in said roof panels beingdisposed inwardly along said converging fold lines causing said roof ofth fold lines in said one end panel; and

panels to move toward each other so that said rib portions form anupstanding rib along the adjacent upper edges of said roof panels, andsaid roof panels slope downwardly from said rib;

strip of material having a surface attached to the outer surface of saidone panel so that said strip completely covers said slit, said stripbeing removable from said one panel.

means including a thermoplastic coating on the rib portions tightlysecuring in a leak-proof manner the rib portion on each roof panel to apart of the rib portion on each gable panel whereby the closure struc-References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS ture is sealed;1,157,462 10/1915 Van Worrner 229-17 means defining a slit through oneof said gable panels 18 gi X substantially parallel with, near to andbelow the fo d 1241953 L onroe 2 9-17 line forming said rib portionthereof, said Slit inter- /1 54 eonard 229-17 secting the convergingfold lines on said one gable g g Indies 229 17 X panel to form a pouringlip therein when the p of 2826349 5 3 gg ig i531; figdg ealggble panelbelow said slit 1s moved on 3,040,951 6/1962 Kuchenbecker 229-17 a stripof material separably attached to the outer sur- 3073503 1/1963Kuchenbecker 229*17 fa of said one panel so that said strip completely3120335 2/1964 Egleston 229 17 covers said slit and is secured to saidone panel completely around the slit. 8. A closure structure for acontainer fabricated from 5 FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Primary Examiner.

GEORGE O. RALSTON, Examiner.

1. A CLOSURE STRUCTURE FOR A CONTAINER FABRICATED FROM COATED PAPERBOARDAND HAVING FOUR SIDE WALLS ARRANGED TO DEFINE RECTANGULAR COMPARTMENT,THE COMBINATION COMPRISING: A PAIR OF ROOF PANELS INTEGRAL WITH ANDEXTENDING UPWARDLY SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME DISTANCE FROM A FIRST PAIR OFSAID SIDE WALLS ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID COMPARTMENT; A PAIR OF GABLEPANELS INTEGRAL WITH AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM THE OTHER PAIR OF SIDEWALLS, SAID GABLE PANELS BEING INTEGRAL WITH SAID ROOF PANELS ALONG THEADJACENT EDGES THEREOF; MEANS DEFINING A FOLD LINE EXTENDING ACROSS EACHOF SAID ROOF AND GABLE PANELS SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL WITH THE UPPEREDGES OF SAID PANELS TO DEFINE A RIB PORTION ON EACH PANEL; MEANSDEFINING A PAIR OF UPWARDLY CONVERGING FOLD LINES ON EACH GABLE PANEL,FOLDING OF SAID GABLE PANELS INWARDLY AND ALONG SAID CONVERGING FOLDLINES CAUSING SAID ROOF PANELS TO MOVE TOWARD EACH OTHER SO THAT SAIDRIB PORTIONS FORM AN UPSTANDING RIB ALONG THE ADJACENT UPPER EDGES OFSAID ROOF PANELS, AND SAID ROOF PANELS SLOPE DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID RIB;MEANS TIGHTLY SECURING IN A LEAK-PROOF MANNER THE RIB PORTION ON EACHROOF PANEL TO A PART OF THE RIB PORTION ON EACH GABLE PANEL WHEREBY THECLOSURE STRUCTURE IS SEALED; MEANS DEFINING A SLIT IN ONE OF SAID GABLEPANELS SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL WITH, NEAR TO AND BELOW THE FOLD LINEFORMING SAID RIB PORTIONS, SAID SLIT INTERSECTING THE CONVERGING FOLDLINES IN SAID ONE GABLE PANEL NEAR THE UPPER ENDS OF SAID CONVERGINGFOLD LINES, SAID SLIT HAVING A CENTRAL PORTION BETWEEN SAID CONVERGINGFOLD LINE AND A PAIR OF END PORTIONS SLOPING DOWNWARDLY SLIGHTLY AWAYFROM SAID CENTRAL PORTION; AND A STRIP OF MATERIAL HAVING A SURFACEATTACHED TO THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID ONE PANEL SO THAT SAID STRIPCOMPLETELY COVERS SAID SLIT, SAID STRIP BEING REMOVABLE FROM SAID ONEPANEL.